International Publishers Association will See a Run of Female Presidents/
With the confirmation of Karine Pansa (Girassol Brasil Edições, Brazil) confirmed as President-elect of the International Publishers Association (IPA), and with Gvantsa Jobava (Intelekti Publishing, Georgia) confirmed as Vice President-elect, the 150-year-old organisation is set to enjoy a long spell of female leadership.
The results of the new elections were announced at the third virtual IPA General Assembly. Sheikha Bodour al Qasimi of Sharjah will stand down as president at the end of this year. Karine Pansa will be president until the end of 2024 while Gvantsa Jobava will lead the body until the end of 2025. Prior to Sheikha Bodour’s election, the IPA had only had one female president, Argentina’s Ana Maria Cabenellas.’
As she prepares to hand over her presidency, Bodour said: “My presidency reinforced my belief in what we do as an industry and also reinforced my respect and appreciation for publishers. I witnessed first-hand their generosity, resilience, and determination despite all the challenges. I am truly inspired by their hard work and passion and I’m confident that our industry is in safe and capable hands as we write the next chapter in our book.
IPA Vice President, Karine Pansa added: “I’d like to thank Bodour for her exemplary leadership, tireless dedication, and competence in dealing with the complex issues that our industry has had during the past two years. It honors me to follow your path and be the third female president of IPA. I am excited to serve our industry and support our members’ recovery, and continue to ensure IPA is an inclusive organization represented and respected globally.”
Gvantsa Jobava, IPA Vice President-elect said: “It is a special honor and responsibility to be IPA Vice President. My Georgian roots, and my experience of occupation, drive my fight for a better world. Our sector has a unique weapon to achieve it – the book. A tool to educate, spread diverse voices and create a free society. That is why I will dedicate my vice presidency to strengthening IPA’s main pillars: copyright, freedom to publish, literacy, inclusion, and educational publishing. I will fight for the well-being of our members’ publishers because books published by them make our world better.”
